Notes
Raced Jones 10 miler last weekend which beat me up pretty good and have New Bedford Half coming up in two weeks (plus An Ras Mor next weekend). The idea of racing another 10 miler over this 4 week stretch just seemed like a recipe for injury. Also didnt want to give up a 3rd long-run and sabotage my Boston training. As much as I hate the idea of noting giving 100% in a race, I think it was the best call for the long run (minimize injury risk and get in my long run). Since this was part of the SRR grand prix, felt like I needed to at least show up. Hopefully next year the grand prix lines up with the USATF races since we really need some good participation (last week we were really hurting for turn-out, I think our club has a good chance to finish much higher in the standings if people come).
Goal for today was 5-6 miles warmup, 10 miles at MP, 4-5 miles cooldown with 3 of the post-race miles at MP.
Went out with Culla at the start and for the most part we were in the ballpark of MP. As with any race, the start was a little faster than planned, although much slower than if I had gone out with the lead pack. Right out of the gate, there was a pack of 3 BAA plus Sam Jurek from GBTC. Sam is an unofficial rival, in the sense that he always seems to beat me out by one spot in every race (Irish Pub, Run to the Rock Half, Gobblex3, Jingle Bell Run). Today was not a day that I'd be seeking my revenge (he took 4th pretty easily), but someday.
Ideal pace was between 5:56 and 6:02, unfortunately had a couple of miles that seemed to be a couple of seconds too fast at each split. Ran in a small pack for most of the race and ended up just keeping the pace with them. Our pack goal was to be in my MP range, but I think the atmosphere kept everyone a little faster than planned.
Did my best not to let things get carried away and sabotage my training, but tough to let people put distance on me. Around the 8 mile mark another BAA guy and a guy from Cambridge started to break from the group. I decided to go with them. Up to this point, I felt pretty in control and that I wasnt working too hard. Felt like my pace was potentially manageable for a marathon with a proper taper, but a safer bet is probably high 5's.
Worked through the 9th mile with the BAA guy and saw the runners ahead starting to struggle. Decided to keep holding back a little longer, but did let the pace pick up after we passed further through the 9 mile mark. At the 9.5 mark, decided to throw down and go after the guys in front. Was definitely way beyond MP at this point, but couldnt hold back the competitive side much longer. Caught one of the guys, but spotted the other guy just too much time to make up for it. Garmin is telling me the last 0.35 miles was sub 5:00 pace, no wonder I felt like my breathing was way out of control at the very end. I just need a finish like that when I'm giving full effort the rest of the race! I love having a strong kick, but I know that today's kick was aided by the first 9.7 miles.
Finished the day with an overall 6th place finish. Felt bad for Andy, he race a great race and easily had be beat by over a minute, but missed one of the last turns. It was odd, every other turn on the course had a copy of someone there, but this one turn had a small sign that would be easy to miss if not paying attention (especially with it being just after the 9.5 mile mark where things tend to get hazy). He was easily positioned for at least a 5th place finish. He's going to be someone to push us over the next few races. Understand his frustration, but he's going to be a solid performer this year based off what I've seen at track and today.
Picked up a pint glass for age group, but tough to celebrate an less than all-out effort. Hopefully looking for a strong New Bedford performance. Looking forward to racing again and giving a 100%.